Kenny Miller wants one more top-flight title

Andy Newport

Veteran striker Kenny Miller says he wants to win one more top-flight title with Rangers before hanging up his boots.

The 35-year-old this week agreed a 12-month extension to his Ibrox deal.

And current manager Mark Warburton and his former Scotland coach Alex McLeish both reckon the former Hibernian, Celtic and Wolves frontman can continue playing into his 40s.

But Miller – who already has three winners’ medals from his earlier Rangers stint, plus one from his Parkhead spell – claims he could happily call it a day next season so long as the Ibrox side can follow up promotion this term by ending Celtic’s reign of Ladbrokes Premiership dominance to claim another.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Livingston, he said: “I didn’t expect to have the contract discussion so early in the manager’s time here so I take it as a big compliment.

“Now it gives me an opportunity to play in the top flight again and have a go at winning that league back. That is the goal.

“We want to make sure we win the league this year and get back to the top flight. Then ultimately we need to win that league back. That’s what the fans expect and us as players are demanding of one another.

“We’re not going up there just to challenge for a top-six place, we need to be challenging for that league.

“Would I like one more title before I retire? That would be great.”

Miller refused to start the countdown on his playing days, insisting he would go year-by-year as he plots the remainder of his career.

However, Warburton believes he can follow the lead of Ibrox assistant David Weir, who was 41 before finally bowing out of action for Rangers. “I watch Kenny everyday in training and there’s another two or three years left in his tank, no doubt about that,” insisted Warburton.

“He only has to look at Davie Weir to see what is possible. He came here as a short-term fix and was still there five years later having played in a Uefa Cup final.

“He’s a shining example of how to look after yourself.”

While he remains focused on seeing off Hibs in the promotion race, Miller has at least turned one eye towards his future.

He is working on his coaching badges and has been lending a hand to Rangers youth bosses Craig Mulholland and Ian Durrant and their Under-20s side.

But he admits he would one day like a taste of Warburton’s job.

“Working with the Under-20s has been great,” said the former Scotland frontman.

“It’s very limited. I try to do as much as I can with the lads but I still need to make sure I’m preparing properly for games, taking my recovery and rest days seriously.

“But it’s been great to get an insight into the other side of the game.

“At the moment I have no plans to look much further than that though. I’m just helping out a bit and that’s it. I’m still firmly focused on being a player.

“Management is definitely a road I want to go down eventually and if I could come back here in the future that would be a dream come true.”

The debate over title-stripping continues to divide Rangers fans and opposition supporters following the Ibrox oldco’s court defeat on employee benefit trusts to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

But Miller reckons the issue should be put to bed, saying: “I know how hard I had to work to earn those titles and for me that is good enough.”